Stuck in Everest

Oh well... it was bound to happen sooner or later...
I rode Everest the other day while making a quick visit to DAK in the early evening hours... and did the Single Rider line exclusive to us not married people. So, after waiting about 10-15 mins or so... I boarded the train to Yetiland and we are off to a speedy start as usual... Go up the first small lift, then down the small drop, thinking to myself... "gee, we could have used a few animal AA's in these bushes before heading up the mountain.."

Anyways we pick up speed and hit the bottom of the big lift to the top of the Mountain... then *wham!* we come to a complete and very final stop as 90% of the train was already in 45 degree angle on the lift. Silence. One guest behind me goes.. "what happened?" Another in front of us go "OMG! we are going to die!!" (well not really... but she did say.."I think we broke") I think to myself... "yeah, you are definitely broke after a visit to WDW...get real!".

To make this story short and sweet (like me), the truth is... for some reason the ride shut down and power was lost. An automatic PA came over the speakers.. "We are sorry but the trip to Everst has been delayed..jada jada.." I am having visions of another DL Big Thunder mishap ahead of us on the track, but that was not the case... just a technical malfuntion that shut the ride down for over an hour or so. (we got to ride again later in the nightime; my first time doing so)

After a little while, 3 CMs appear out of nowhere... and told us we would be taken off the ride and we would walk back to the boarding station. One CM at the bottom of the lift yells... "NO photos or videos from this point on!" The CM at the top of the lift tell us, "oh, it's ok to take photos.. what is he talking about?" So here are the photos...

CM's come to evacuate the ride. The big guy was having heart failure just walking up these steps and I was really concered about him... sweating profusely.

We were old we'd be let out of the vehicles one row at a time... and so it goes..

We are told that once we are off the vehicles, to "stay put against the wall, away from the train".. something this kid did not understand.

Guests are helped out of the train, which sits on a 45 degree angle at this point in time. Trust me... it's quite hard to get out of these seats in this position... you have to basically climb upward to get out, then carefully, set your footing on the side of the train in order to have balance to climb out of the seat.

After all guests are de-boarded, we then walk alongside the track all the way back to the station. This is a similar walk-around to what the maintenance CMs do every evening...when they check for cracks and other anomalities on the track and ride.

The fun part of this... you get to see up close and personal the theming that went into this ride which is great. Walking in between the big and small mountain area of the track, gave me a very realistic sense of being in the Grand Canyon on tour..

Once we arrived back at the boarding areas, Disney did the honorable thing and gave everyone re-entry access passes to all who were inconvenienced by the malfuction.
...And that's all folks.

Final thoughts... I did return later and used my re-entry pass. It was already nightime. The mountain ligthing at night gives it a nice mysterious look... Not much can be seen in the outdoor lower portions of the ride as there is minimal lighting when the ride is "live". When the train comes to stop at the broken track..the prop is well illuminated. I however, miss the bird on the stick. This scene is bland without any aminated elements. When we go backwards, due to our eyes being used to the darkness, the indoor cracks that allow a decent view of the hollow interior of the mountain, can be much better appreciated here.. (BAD show) this needs to be fixed. Everything else was fine, but the yeti eyes on the right side of the track after the big drop were inop. However, your encounter with Yeti at the final moment of the ride looks much nicer at night. I could appreciate the entire scene much better and looked nicely lit, with Yeti's eyes glowing. In the daytime, your eyes do not adjust quickly for the scene, coming from outdoors into it at high speed..

Re: Stuck in Everest

Re: Stuck in Everest

Wow! Great pictures!!
This is the second time that the train has been stopped and documented by members of this board. The first was in DisneyPrincess4590's trip report. And we all wondered how people got down.
Now we know! The stairs look pretty decent. I was afraid they would be metal stairs that you could see through to the bottom.

Re: Stuck in Everest

Originally Posted by mikeland

What happens to the other trains? Do they just work with gravity and return to the station?

Good question.. there are designated evacuation points thru the ride. Trains are allowed to run until they reach those areas. I am assuming other guests were evacuated from those areas and I did see another group of guests coming out from another section of the mountain on the waterfall side. Trains can not be allowed to just work with gravity because at some points during the ride, an air/pneumatic break may be applied to slow down the train during some sharp turns of the track. If the power goes out, the breaks may not work, therefore it would not be safe for a train to speed thru an area that is not designed past a speed limit. Get me? That is how it was explained to me once..

Originally Posted by jane2073

I was afraid they would be metal stairs that you could see through to the bottom.

If we had come to a complete stop towards the top of the main lift (bridge portion between small and big mountain sections) I reckon that would have been the case, and some folks may have freaked at the thought of doing the more...in the open portion of the stairs.

Originally Posted by jerren

Did they remove the bird on the stick completely or does it just not run at night?

I was told by a reliable source the bird has been removed/turned off, and served to guests using the dining plan card.

Re: Stuck in Everest

I guess when you spend as much time as I do at the Disney parks, the chances of being evacuated are higher... as this is the 3rd time this happens to me. First at the MK's Space Mountain... we got stuck at the top of the lift and had to sit there for 20 mins with lights on, CM nearby, and then, they started sending cars one at a time with lights on, to recycle and reboot the ride from the beginning (all cars in the station and garage), so that gave me the chance to ride the entire Space ride with lights on, and trust me... it was really scary. The overhead beams are way too close.

The 2nd time was on Universe of Energy on opening day Oct 1st, 1982. Around 9:45am...shortly after the opening ceremony... we went on and after the initial widescreen movie...once we entered the primeval area...we stopped and the ride broke. We had to be evacuated one car at a time... and the CM was breaking jokes right and left... "please don't step on Dino poo as you make your way thru the "forrest". Now THAT was a fun evac.

Re: Stuck in Everest

I remember a few years back we were on the great movie ride and it stated to slow down and would start and stop like it was on hydraulics. so five minutes later there are disney bigwigs walking around the sets telling the host what to do. we stayed on the ride and she started to tell us that there was some problem with the main system that controls the ride. then she has nothing to do so she starts to tell us that she was going to the disney college for six months and going back to her own college for another six months, and that this was her last day and this was her last tour on the great movie ride until the next six months. so every light was turned on, and every animatronic was turned off. in scenes like casablanca the animatronics were just manachins and the projector for fantasia was shut off, but all the lights in dark places were on, and special effects? none atm. so it was a funny experience seeing little head honchos scurrying around the ride trying to evaluate the problem

Re: Stuck in Everest

Originally Posted by TDLFAN

Good question.. there are designated evacuation points thru the ride. Trains are allowed to run until they reach those areas. I am assuming other guests were evacuated from those areas and I did see another group of guests coming out from another section of the mountain on the waterfall side. Trains can not be allowed to just work with gravity because at some points during the ride, an air/pneumatic break may be applied to slow down the train during some sharp turns of the track. If the power goes out, the breaks may not work, therefore it would not be safe for a train to speed thru an area that is not designed past a speed limit. Get me? That is how it was explained to me once.

I have worked with safety systems on other devices, and that sounds about right.

At different blocks in the track are brakes that are held OPEN by power. With a loss of power they close and stop the trains (or pallets on the coveyer system, if thats what you are working with)

-dave

"I'm gonna build my own amusement park. But with gambling and hookers!" - Bender
"You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity." - Bullet Tooth Tony

Re: Stuck in Everest

Originally Posted by evanescence4ever

I would have LOVED to be stuck in the Yeti scene! those would have been some cool pictures!

I've been stuck in the Yeti scene a couple times. When the "Remain Seated" announcement comes on, he immediately stops his "scary" spiel, assumes Standby position, and before you know it he's pulling out his cell phone and chatting away.